


Like the Willow Tree

by Lazuli5



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bonding, had to add tokka because why else do I write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:41:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29003898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazuli5/pseuds/Lazuli5
Summary: Aang and Suki have a meaningful conversation before Yakone's trial.
Relationships: Aang & Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Sokka
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	Like the Willow Tree

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I know Suki wasn't at Yakon'e trial, but, y'know, fuck canon and all  
> 2\. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A SHIP

“Come on, ladies, let’s go!” Suki called, hustling the Kyoshi Warriors off of the Republic City ferry. “We’ve only got half an hour before the trial!”

One, two, three… She silently counted each one as they passed her and leaped down onto the wooden platform. Aang had only asked her to bring a few of her best women with her when he’d requested her presence at Yakone’s trial, so she’d only brought four warriors, not including herself. It had been exceptionally difficult to pick the few that would accompany her, as the team had grown so much over the last few years, but she felt confident in her selection. 

Ty Lee was the last one off the boat. “Everyone’s off,” she said. 

Suki nodded. “Good. The courthouse is just over there, so we should have plenty of time to talk to the Avatar before the trial starts.”

The warriors marched along the street to the courthouse, heads held high. Suki took a deep breath, examining her surroundings. The buildings in Republic City were fabulously built, and home to many, she knew. She’d only been there a few times, just on small assignments, but what she had seen of the City was beautiful.

A little girl walking the sidewalk met her eyes. “Mama,” she said, tugging her mother’s sleeve. “Mama, look!”

“Those are the Kyoshi Warriors, honey,” the girl’s mother whispered, smiling apologetically at Suki. “Don’t chatter so.”

“That’s all right,” Suki said, kneeling down in front of the girl. “I’m Suki. What’s your name?”

The girl grinned shyly. “Kera,” she said softly. “I really like your face.”

“Well, thank you,” she said.“I really like your face. I think you’d make an excellent warrior someday.”

“Really?” Kera gasped. “Mama! Did you hear? She said I could be a warrior just like her!”

“Did she?” her mother replied. She gave Suki a grateful look.

“I did. And here’s a little something to help you get started,” she said, taking one of her belts off and tying around the little girl’s wrist. “Can you hold onto that for me?”

“Yes! Thank you!” Kera squealed. She and her mother waved goodbye and continued on their way. Suki watched them go, then turned and hurried to catch up with the other girls.

“What was that all about?” asked one of the warriors.

“A little girl. Kera,” she explained. “I gave her my belt. She was adorable.”

“Aw. That’s nice,” Ty Lee said. She nodded, and they continued on toward the courthouse. Soon its towering face came into view.

“You three,” Suki said, gesturing to a few of the girls, “Stay here. Ty Lee, come with me. Let’s find Aang, then we’ll come back and give you your orders.”

They split up, the three staying behind while Ty Lee and Suki went off in search of Aang. They made their way through the crowd, taking care not to push or shove too harshly. There certainly were a lot of people for a trail, but she supposed it wasn’t too much of a surprise. Yakone had made himself famous.

“Hey, Suki?” Ty Lee said after about five minutes of searching. “Won’t Sokka be here?”

“He should be,” she grunted, accidentally stepping on a man’s foot. “He’s a Councilman, isn’t he?”

“Well, yeah… when was the last time you saw him? It was just after the breakup, wasn’t it?”

Suki sighed. She liked Ty Lee very much, but she had a tendency to bring things up at the worst possible moment. Shouldn’t she know that of course she was worried about seeing Sokka again, even though it had been over two years since they’d seen each other last? 

“Yeah,” she answered, gritting her teeth. “But I’m sure it’ll be fine. Aang’s here, too, and so is Toph, I’m sure.”

“You’re right, you’re right. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just keep looking, all right?”

Ty Lee nodded, and they resumed surveying the area for any sign of Aang’s signature Air Nomad outfit. Suki began asking around for him, but no one had seen him for nearly an hour. She then began asking for Toph, since she would rather see her than Sokka. Finally someone said that they had seen the Chief in the lobby about ten minutes previously, so although she had already scoured the area Suki set off in that direction.

Sure enough, she could just make out Toph’s signature black bun rounding a corner, taking off down a hallway. Suki grumbled, following her. What was she doing? The trial started in less than ten minutes, she shouldn’t be wandering off to random places alone.

Then she realized she wasn’t alone. Sokka was with her. And they were standing in the hallway, kissing, where anyone could see them. Where she could see them.

Suki inhaled sharply. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. The scene was pulling her in. Sokka’s fingers, tangled in her hair. Toph’s hands, hooked around his neck. Their foreheads pressed together like they couldn’t stand to be apart.

This was a private moment, not meant for her eyes. She knew that. And she knew they were together. They had been, for months now. But still she stared, her eyes wide, her jaw unhinged, locked on the sight. She turned and darted, not knowing where she was going but not really caring. She ran past Ty Lee, who said, “Suki?” as she passed her, but she didn’t stop until she was outside the doors of the courthouse, in the fresh air at last. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, then took in her surroundings. She appeared to be in some sort of courtyard, perhaps in the back of the building. It was quite pretty, actually, with large yellow flowers and a fountain, bubbling quietly with clear water.

“Suki?”

She whipped her head around, and there was her friend, the missing Avatar. Aang was standing by a patch of the flowers, his hand paused in the moment of stroking it. 

“Oh,” she said glumly. “It’s you.”

“I didn’t think anyone else knew about this place.,” he said, laughing slightly. Then he tilted his head down to get a better look at her face. “Are you crying?”

“Um.” Hurriedly Suki wiped her eyes. She hadn’t remembered beginning to cry, yet tears were streaming down her face. “No.”

“Nice try. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m fine,” she said, obviously anything but fine. Aang raised his eyebrows.

“Okay, fine. I, uh, I saw Toph. And Sokka. They were, er - they were busy,” she confessed.

“I see.” Aang’s gaze softened. “You didn’t know they were together?”

“No, I did, I did. It’s just - it’s different. Seeing it, I mean.”

He nodded, and they were quiet for a while after that, watching the yellow flowers dance in the wind, swaying to and fro. It was peaceful, just standing there, feeling the breeze blow in their faces.

“How are the kids?” she finally asked, breaking the silence.

"They're great," he said excitedly. "Yesterday Katara took them all outside to work on their bending skills."

"Oh, yeah? How did that go?"

"It was so cute, Suki. You should've seen Kya with her, they were practicing their waterbending. They looked like they were dancing. Obviously she can't do much yet, but she's really coming along."

"That's great,” she said. “And… and Bumi?”

Aang's shoulders tensed. "Still nothing."

"Ah." There was a pregnant pause, and Suki almost regretted asking at all. It was a touchy subject, the Avatar's firstborn being a nonbender. 

“What about Tenzin?"

"Well, you know,” he said, regaining his normal composure. “He can't do much either, being two, but sometimes he sneezes and gets a solid foot off the ground."

Suki laughed. "A little airbender is a dangerous thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

His smile softened, and Suki patted his shoulder. Tenzin being an airbender was a huge deal, and she knew sometimes the thought that he was no longer the last airbender overwhelmed him.

"But what about you?” he asked, turning to face her, and at that moment Suki realized that they were sitting down. He was very easy to talk to. “What’s new with you?”

“Oh, I’ve been busy. We’ve been running all over the world, these past few years. And I only have you to blame,” she teased.

“Hey, when everyone heard what a great job you did in the Fire Nation, I had no choice but to recommend you to people,” he joked, holding his hands up. 

“Heh.” She leaned back, propped up on her arms. “But seriously, it’s kind of exhausting to go wherever we’re needed, whenever we’re needed. I love my job, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to just stop and catch my breath.”

“I know what you mean. I really like to take a minute on days like these, in places like these,” he said, gesturing to the plants blooming around them. She took in a deep breath, breathing in the sweet scent from the flowers. “The monks at the Air Temples always taught us to take a moment each day to focus on your breathing.”

He tapped her stomach, and she nodded, obeying his unspoken command. “In… and out. In… and out. In… and out. That’s it.”

She tuned her breathing to the ups and downs of his voice, so peaceful and calm. In and out, just like he said. In and out.

“You know, the monks also taught me that things aren’t always as complicated as they seem. More often than not, the simplicity is there. You just have to look a little harder,” he said. He pointed to the branches that had begun to swing in the breeze. 

“Everyone is free. Everyone is simple, deep down in their roots. Like the willow tree.”

Together they copied them, swaying in the wind with the tree. Suki closed her eyes, listening to the birds chirp and feeling the breeze tickle her nose.

With a start, she realized that his words were more than just being free. They were about letting go, too. Being one with yourself, and going wherever the wind took her. And the scene she’d stumbled across that day wasn’t the direction she was meant to go. 

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Any time.” He stood up and brushed himself off, then held out his hand to help her up. She took it, and they made their way inside for the trial, Suki feeling lighter inside than she had in a long time.


End file.
